Chapter 223: Squandering the Fortune

Everyone in the Grand Tutor's Mansion had a dinner together to celebrate the award given to Zhou Cheng'an and Shen Huazheng. The whole family was having a great time, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

In the restaurant, some people also talked about the rewards given to Zhou Cheng'an and Shen Huazheng.

"Have you heard that Princess Yinghua has made another contribution?"

"I heard that it seems to be because they found a plant that can be mass-produced. It's called potatoes."

"It is said that it was found by Grand Tutor Zhou's youngest son, and Princess Yinghua informed Your Majesty that potatoes can be mass-produced. The people of Sinong Temple have already tested it and found it to be feasible. So both of them received rewards."

"I also know about this. Because of potatoes, the area of ​​Yinghua County Lord's fiefdom has increased, and Grand Tutor Zhou's youngest son has been granted the title of Marquis of Lin'an."

"There's a place in the food court that sells all kinds of food made from potatoes. Some are steamed, some are fried, and everything is delicious."

"In that case, it is indeed a great achievement. These rewards are what they deserve."

The person who had just brought up the topic put down his wine glass, looking mysterious.

"I haven't finished speaking yet. The title of Marquis granted by His Majesty is not just an ordinary title."

The others' appetites were immediately whetted by him. The delicious food and wine in front of them no longer tasted good, and they all urged that person to -

"Uncommon? How is it uncommon?"

"Could it be possible to inherit the throne from generation to generation? Impossible!!"

"Hey, why do you like to keep people in suspense? Tell me now!!"

The title of Daliang could be inherited, but the practice of hereditary succession had been abolished long ago.

Under normal circumstances, a family title would be downgraded after three generations.

If Emperor Jingning not only conferred the title of Marquis of Lin'an on Zhou Cheng'an in order to reward him, but also granted him hereditary status, then things would not be so simple.

Even Zhou Cheng'an, oh, now you have to call him Marquis of Lin'an.

Even if Marquis Lin'an only has a daughter, he has a nephew, and at worst, there are younger generations from other branches.

As long as he can find a suitable one as the heir, even if Grand Tutor Zhou is gone and there are no outstanding descendants, the Zhou family will still have a title to support it.

The man felt proud when he saw his companions all looked anxious.

He picked up the wine glass, took another sip of wine, and then slowly said -

"You think it's too simple. It's even more exaggerated."

"What is it? Don't keep me in suspense."

"Your Majesty has permitted the Marquis of Lin'an to continue to inherit his title and fiefdom after a hundred years. Moreover, only the eldest son will be considered, regardless of gender."

"What?? Regardless of gender, doesn't that mean his daughter can also inherit the title?"

"Of course, the Marquis of Lin'an has only one daughter, so she must have inherited the throne."

"Oh my god, is there going to be a female marquis in Daliang?"

"It should be said that Daliang will soon have its first female marquis."

As soon as these words were spoken, others quickly understood the hidden meaning behind them.

With the first female marquis, the second female marquis will appear.

There may even be some unconventional things happening next.

Of course, this was no longer something they could discuss.

So, the conversation in the restaurant stopped for a moment, and then began to change the topic -

"After all, County Lady Yinghua is lucky. Not only does she have a title, but she also has a fiefdom. Moreover, this time she and Marquis Lin'an were rewarded together, but Marquis Lin'an only has a fiefdom. The area of ​​County Lady Yinghua's fiefdom has become larger."

"I think Miss Zhou is more fortunate. Although they are divorced, her son is still the heir to the Duke's Mansion. She also opened a restaurant and a gourmet restaurant with Princess Yinghua, making a lot of money. Now she has become the heir to the Marquis of Lin'an, and will be a female marquis in the future."

"That's true. There are not many women who divorce. There are even fewer who can live so well after divorce."

"I wonder if the Duke of Wei will regret losing such a future female marquis."

"The Duke of Wei's Mansion must have regretted it a long time ago. Even without the female marquis, the support from the Grand Tutor's Mansion is incomparable to that of ordinary people. Besides, the Shen family should not be underestimated either."

"That makes sense. At the beginning, Song Zhichen seemed to have just divorced his original wife, but in fact, he cut off the support of the Duke of Weiguo Mansion and himself. That loss is no less than losing an arm."

"More than that. Looking back now, the Duke of Wei's Mansion has suffered a heavy loss. At least before the Duke of Wei's son inherits the title, the Duke of Wei's Mansion will have almost no chance of moving forward."

"They have to pray to God every day to let the prince of Weiguo grow up safely and become the next Duke of Weiguo. Otherwise...tsk tsk, men still have to control themselves. There has to be a limit to being romantic."

"Hahaha, don't worry. With how henpecked you are, you won't be able to be romantic even if the opportunity is placed in front of you."

"That's right. When you come out to drink with us, you have to tell my sister-in-law when you're going home. Every time, you urge me to go home before I'm done having fun."

"What do you know? That's not henpecked. They say that you have to listen to your wife to be blessed. Those who don't listen to their wives will sooner or later squander their blessings."

"Hahaha, good, good, it's a blessing, it's a blessing."

"My blessing is still to come~~"

Several people were discussing at once and talking about other things they had seen and heard.

"I heard that Yinghua County mainly sells sauces, which are the ones we dip in hot pot."

"Wow, she's finally selling sauces! I like the bean paste the best, and the mushroom sauce is absolutely amazing. They're delicious even when dipped into steamed buns."

"My wife loves shacha sauce the most and always thinks about it. I will stock up a dozen bottles so that she can also use shacha sauce to dip meat at home."

“Then I’ll stock up on some too.”

Song Zhichen at the next table held his wine glass low, his mood unclear.

He raised his head and drank the wine in the glass.

After swallowing the wine, my throat felt a bit bitter.

Song Zhichen sat by the window. When he looked up, he could see the bright lights of the capital and the starry sky at night.

After the divorce, Song Zhichen had been keeping an eye on Zhou Ying's news, from when she opened a restaurant and a food court with Shen Huazheng, when she shot a mountain tiger to death in the royal enclosure, to when she was about to become the next Marquis of Lin'an.

He savored each and every one of them as if they were treasures.

The sky is full of stars, so distant, yet so beautiful.

Just like Aying, she left the Duke's Mansion and began to shine again, even more dazzling than before.

However, the distance between them is getting farther and farther.

The good times they had experienced together had long since become a thing of the past that could never be returned to.

Song Zhichen poured himself another glass of wine and drank it with a heart full of sorrow.

Only by listening to your wife can you be blessed.

That makes a lot of sense.

After the divorce, Aying was like a rising pearl, shining brightly again.

But he had already fallen on old age.

He was originally a blessed man, but he ruined it all by himself.

It's all his own fault. Now, he can only live in a daze with this broken body, the resentment of his own son, and the disappointment of his father.

Until death, he was never forgiven.

【My dears, this is by no means a whitewash. Human emotions are very complicated, and the emotions of adults are even less likely to be black and white. Although Song Zhichen is a scumbag, his regret is real. This has something to do with Song Zhichen's own personality, the relationship between him and Aying, and Aying's own excellence and powerful background. It does not mean that Song Zhichen deserves to be forgiven just because he regrets. There is no necessary connection between the two. The most important thing is that this book is not a sadomasochistic story. The whole text revolves around food and healing, and there will be no plot of reconciliation. 】

…

In the Imperial College cafeteria, Wei Zeduo, who was waiting in line, took a deep breath and smelled the tempting sour and spicy aroma in the air.

Today's lunch is hot and sour noodles and meatball soup.

Wei Zeduo tried hard to suppress the greed in his heart, turned around and looked at Shen Keheng who was standing behind him: "Zhongyu, have you tried this hot and sour noodles?"

Meatball soup had been served in the cafeteria before, but hot and sour noodles appeared for the first time.

It is normal that other people have never eaten hot and sour noodles, but it is not necessarily the case for the brothers Shen Kesi and Shen Keheng.

Shen Keheng shook his head honestly: "I haven't eaten it."

He had tried pickled fish and hot and sour potato shreds, but this hot and sour noodles was the first time he had seen it.

"Even you haven't eaten it?!"

Wei Zeduo got the answer from Shen Keheng and felt inexplicably happy.

Look, the Shen brothers also have some that they haven’t eaten yet.

It seems that County Master Yinghua treats everyone equally.

This hot and sour noodle smells so good, it must taste so delicious.

It is so lucky to be a student of the Imperial College, as you can eat different delicious foods every day.

Hehehe~~

Shen Keheng was so focused on thinking about what snacks or treats would be sent from home in a while that he didn't notice Wei Zeduo's strange expression.

Now their family no longer sends them lunch, but occasionally they still send them some snacks or festive food.

There will be a polo match in the Imperial College today, so we will only have half a day of classes.

The Shen brothers did not attend the game, but they would go to watch it in the afternoon.

After Shen Huazheng knew about this, she said that she would prepare some snacks and desserts suitable for watching the game and send them to them.

"Zhongyu, it's your turn. What are you standing there for?"

Seeing that Shen Keheng was absorbed in his thoughts and still standing still when it was his turn, Xue Cong couldn't help but remind him.

"Oh, right away."

Shen Keheng came back to his senses, hurried forward, and walked to window number one to get his meal.

…

Shen Mansion

A basket of top-quality chestnuts was sent from the farm. Shen Huazheng thought about it and decided to make sugar-roasted chestnuts.

It was just right to make some sugar-roasted chestnuts for Shen Kesi and the others so that they could eat them while watching the polo match in the afternoon.

Since we are going to watch the game, how can we miss snacks? ?

Princess Lejia has been very interested in the making of these snacks recently. When she heard that Shen Huazheng was planning to make sugar-roasted chestnuts, she followed Shen Huazheng and Zhou Ying into the kitchen.

The chestnuts were plump and had been cleaned by the cooks, who also made a cross on them with a knife.

Chen Huazheng explained to Zhou Ying and Princess Lejia: "Under high temperature heating, chestnuts will slowly swell up, and at a certain point they will explode, which may hurt people. Making a cross can avoid this, and it will make them ripen faster."

Zhou Ying nodded. So that's it.

She thought it was just to make the chestnuts ripen faster, but she didn't expect that its main function was to prevent them from exploding.

Princess Lejia looked at Chen Huazheng with starry eyes, Zhengzheng is so amazing.

Know everything.

Chen Huazheng lit a pot, poured all the chestnuts into it, and added water, which just covered the chestnuts.

She added an appropriate amount of white sugar to the pot and then covered it with a lid.

Start cooking the chestnuts.

Chen Huazheng had been watching the pot from the side, and when she saw it was almost cooked, she asked someone to take it out of the pot.

She lifted the lid of the pot and a rich fragrance wafted into her nose. The water in the pot was almost boiled dry.

After simmering, the white sugar in the pot had become viscous. Shen Huazheng stirred it a few times with a spatula, and the viscous syrup seeped into the chestnut shells.

Each chestnut looks shiny and very tempting.

Qingzhi followed the instructions and brought a large jar of honey and poured it on the chestnuts just out of the pot.

The air is filled with an enticing sweet fragrance that makes people salivate.

Smells so good!!

…

In the Imperial College cafeteria, everyone was devouring the hot and sour noodles in front of them.

From time to time, one could hear the sound of "slurping" noodles and the sound of people gasping for air due to the spiciness.

Song Ye looked at the hot and sour noodles with red oil soup base in front of him and felt a little hesitant.

The potato noodles in the bowl were just popping out of the red floating oil. The noodles, which had been cooked to a translucent state, were now stained with a lot of red oil, and one could tell at a glance that they were very spicy.

The tempting sour and spicy smell kept drilling into his nose, stimulating his nasal cavity and taste buds, making Song Ye unable to help but swallow his saliva.

But he couldn't eat spicy food very well, and he didn't know whether this bowl of hot and sour noodles was tolerable.

Shen Kesi and the other two were in a completely different mood from Song Ye. In addition to potato flour, there were also a variety of other ingredients in the bowl.

There are fried peanuts, minced pork with mushrooms and chopped green onions.

At first glance, there is red soup in the bowl, translucent potato flour, bright red and tempting fried peanuts, brown sauce-covered mushroom and pork mince, and emerald green chopped green onions.

Just looking at it makes one’s appetite whet, and one can’t wait to taste its deliciousness.

As soon as the hot and sour noodles were served, they couldn't wait to eat them.

The potato flour has absorbed the soup and is smooth, soft and chewy.

Use chopsticks to pick up a small handful of potato flour and put it in your mouth along with the fresh, fragrant, sour and spicy taste.

The sour and spicy feeling suddenly jumped onto the tip of the tongue, and a hot and slightly hot feeling instantly spread between the lips and teeth, stimulating the taste buds and nerves.

The marinade for shiitake mushroom and minced pork is thicker than the soup, and it has a salty and fragrant taste.

One bite and you'll taste the rich umami flavor of mushrooms and the full aroma of meat, along with the sour and spicy flavor of the soup.

It is even more delicious when mixed with soup and potato flour.

It is really comfortable to eat a crispy fried peanut.

Seeing that others were eating so happily, Song Ye picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

Unexpectedly, the hot and sour noodles were not as spicy as he had imagined.

Song Ye ate noodles with the hot and sour soup while eating fried peanuts and minced pork with mushrooms.

From time to time, I would scoop up the meatball soup with a spoon and take a sip to relieve the spiciness.